Arundhati Roy Withdraws from Berlinale 2026 in Protest of Festival’s Political Neutrality
According to the CinemaDrame News Agency, Indian writer Arundhati Roy has withdrawn from this year’s Berlinale after Wim Wenders, serving as jury president, declined to answer political questions during the festival’s opening day. The Berlinale had historically taken a strongly political stance, but under the current leadership, it has adopted a neutral approach.
Roy was scheduled to attend the screening of the TV film In Which Annie Give It Those Ones in the festival’s Classics section. She described the statements of the Berlinale jury members as “conscience-free.”
At a jury press conference, Wenders stated: “We have to step away from politics because if we make films with political aims, we have entered the realm of politics. But we are the counterweight to politics; we are the opposite of politics. We must serve the people, not politicians.”
Polish producer Ewa Puszczyńska, another jury member, described a question about Germany’s support for Israel in the Gaza conflict as “somewhat unfair,” saying: “We cannot be held responsible for their decisions regarding support for Israel or Palestine. There are many other wars where genocide occurs, and we do not speak about them. So this is a very complex question, and asking us where we stand, who we support or don’t support, and whether we are connected to our governments—this is somewhat unfair.”
Roy, in a statement to The Wire, said: “It is astonishing to hear that art should not be political. This is a way to suppress discussion about a crime against humanity happening right before our eyes—while artists, writers, and filmmakers must do everything they can to try to prevent it.”
